National Gallery of Modern Art Mumbai

The National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) is the leading Indian art gallery. The main museum at New Delhi was established on March 29, 1954 by the Government of India, with subsequent branches at Mumbai and Bangalore. Its collection of more than 14,000 works includes artists such as Thomas Daniell, Raja Ravi Verma, Abanindranath Tagore, Rabindranath Tagore, Gaganendranath Tagore, Nandalal Bose, Jamini Roy, Amrita Sher-Gil as well as foreign artists, apart from sculptures by various artists. Some of the oldest works preserved here date back to 1857. 

 The National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai was opened to the public in1996. It hosts various exhibitions and art collections of paintings, sculptures and graphics with a focus on Indian and International artists. It has collections from eminent artists from the Bombay progressive group which include K. H. Ara, F. N. Souza, Gaitonde, S. H. Raza and M. F. Hussain. It also has collections from the present-day artists that include K. G. Subramanyam, Sudhir Patwardhan, Nalini Malini, Atul Dodiya and Sudarshan Shetty.

Only the facade remains of the edifice that was formerly the auditorium known as the Sir Cowasji Jehangir Public Hall. The interior with its elegant horse - shoe shaped balconies now exhibits a different look as the hollow interior exhibits a central stairway with semicircular galleries at different levels. Sir C. J. Hall, as it was popularly known, has transformed into the National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai.

The artist community, led by the eminent sculptor, Piloo Pochkhanawala and the doyen of art, Kekoo Gandhy paved the way for the formation of the NGMA Mumbai. The result was the decision to convert the C J hall into a museum for contemporary art. Introducing floor space into the cavernous high-domed interior of a hall designed along the lines of London's fame Royal Albert Hall proved to be an architectural challenge. Not only could the outer shell not be touched according to heritage laws, but the foundation was also found to be weak being on a sandy base. Delhi-based architect  Romy Khosla's design involved constructing a structure within a structure to encase  five-exhibition galleries, one leading to another through stairway, a lecture auditorium, a library, cafeteria, office and storage space for a permanent collection as well as travelling shows. The renovation has taken 12 years and has costed Rs. 3.5 crores but at the end of it all Mumbai has an exhibition space which meets international standards for lighting, humidity and temperature control.

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